Contract with Consequences (4 page)

BOOK: Contract with Consequences
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‘So, Scarlet, in the interest of the future happiness and security of your offspring, I propose that you ditch your present sperm donor in favour of … me.’

Scarlet could not have been more shocked if he’d suggested immaculate conception. She just stared at him with rounded eyes, looking for the catch. Or the joke.

‘You
have
to be kidding me!’ she exclaimed at last.

‘Actually, no,’ he said, feel perversely pleased with his offer now that he’d made it. ‘I’m not.’

‘But … But …
Why
?’

‘Why not? I qualify, don’t I? I’m tall, reasonably good-looking, with dark hair and blue eyes. Unfortunately my IQ is a good bit over a hundred and thirty but that’s a moot point. I promise I won’t interfere with the way you bring up the child, so it won’t be so different to what you had planned. Though I would like to see the child occasionally. On top of that, he or she’ll have a second pair of grandparents living just across the road. And, whilst my father wasn’t a great father, I saw today that he has the makings of a great grandfather. That can happen sometimes, you know. His father—my grandfather—admitted to being a pathetic parent but he came into his own as a grandparent.’

Scarlet shook her head from side to side. ‘I’m having serious trouble taking this all in.’

‘Take your time.’

Scarlet blinked, then frowned. ‘I still can’t see why you would offer to do this.’

‘I am capable of kindness, you know.’ Or so Bianca had believed.

‘This is more than just being kind,’ Scarlet said, trying to get her head around John’s offer. Who would have believed he would do such a thing? She shook her head from side to side. ‘I have to confess that I’m tempted. Mum would certainly be more comfortable with you being the father than some stranger.’

‘I would imagine so. She quite likes me, you know. Has done ever since I promised to look after you on the school bus.’

Scarlet rolled her eyes at him. ‘I seem to recall you weren’t thrilled at the time.’

‘I didn’t mind.’

‘Rubbish! Come now, John, you’ve never been the Good Samaritan type. Which makes your offering to be my sperm donor all the more puzzling. Heavens, I don’t know what to think or what to say.’

‘Just say yes, Scarlet.’

‘But it’s such a difficult decision. I mean … it’s a big thing to have a child together. Different if we were in love.’

John snorted. ‘As we both know, being in love is no guarantee of future happiness. People fall out of love all the time.’

‘It’s still important for parents to like and respect each other.’

‘You think I don’t like and respect you?’

‘We haven’t exactly been the best of friends over the years.’

‘But that’s all in the past, when we were just stupid kids. We got along very well today, didn’t we?’

‘Yes,’ she agreed reluctantly. ‘Yes, we did. Oh Lord, I still don’t know. If we go ahead and do this, what on earth are we going to tell everyone?’

‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Your priority at this point is becoming pregnant. Your body obviously isn’t clicking with the sperm donor you chose,’ he went on with cool, corrupting logic. ‘You need to try someone different.’

Scarlet knew that, if she failed to get pregnant again with her chosen sperm donor, she’d regret not accepting John’s offer. It was a case of do now, or possibly die childless!

‘Okay. Okay. I’m going to throw caution to the winds and just say yes.’

‘Great,’ John said, feeling more excited than when he’d found oil. ‘So what’s the plan?’

‘I’ll contact the clinic first thing tomorrow morning and arrange for a time for you to go in and give them a sperm sample. Then, when—’

‘Hang on!’ John interrupted immediately. ‘That’s not how it’s going to be done at all!’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean I have no intention of becoming a father via a turkey baster. Or a syringe. Or whatever they use these days. If we’re doing this, let’s do it right.’

‘You mean you … you want to have sex with me?’

CHAPTER SIX

J
OHN
smiled wryly. ‘Don’t sound so shocked, Scarlet. I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you today, not to mention for years while we were growing up.’

Scarlet blushed furiously, shocked, yet secretly elated to discover that the feelings which had so blindsided her today had been returned for so long.

‘But don’t start thinking that I’m doing this just because of that—because I’m not.’ Even as the denial left his mouth, John suspected he was morally skating on thin ice here. If what he was saying was strictly true, then why not just do what she suggested—go to this clinic and give them a sperm sample?

The truth was he
did
want to have sex with her. At the same time, he
did
also believe that normal intercourse was the best chance Scarlet had for falling pregnant. Clearly, the coldly clinical method hadn’t worked. She needed to relax, to enjoy herself.

John decided to be bluntly honest with her. ‘Not that I won’t enjoy having sex with you,’ he admitted. ‘But that’s not the only reason I’m suggesting we actually sleep with each other. It’s because I think you’re more likely to fall pregnant that way. Which is what you want, isn’t it? To have a baby?’

John’s saying the word ‘baby’ dragged Scarlet back to the present. She’d been off in another world ever since he’d confessed to wanting to have sex with her since they were teenagers. ‘What? Oh yes, yes, that’s what I want,’ she said. ‘A baby.’

‘So what do you say, Scarlet?’

‘I don’t know …’ The idea of actually sleeping with John made her head spin.

He sighed. ‘What don’t you know?’

‘I don’t know what I don’t know!’ she blurted out, feeling totally confused and conflicted.

‘Look, I can understand that my suggestion has come as a bit of a shock to you, so why don’t we go somewhere for coffee and talk about it rationally?’

‘I don’t think I’m capable of being rational about this. You’ve totally blown me away. I have to think about this on my own.’

John nodded. He wanted her to say yes with a depth of desire which shocked him; something in him was demanding that he—and only he—should give Scarlet the baby she so desperately wanted. However, much as he hated it, she needed time.

‘I’ll take you home.’

Scarlet sighed. The idea of going home and facing her mother while she was trying to decide something so huge didn’t appeal either.

‘How about we drive to Erina Fair and see a movie? You can pick something you’ll like, some macho action flick with lots of car chases and killings. You can get all involved in that whilst I sit in the dark and think.’

He laughed. ‘You are such a sexist, Scarlet. I happen to like a wide range of movies, not just macho action flicks, as you put it.’

‘Oh sure,’ she said in droll tones.

‘I’ll prove it to you.’

He surprised her by choosing a romantic comedy, one of those friends-into-lovers plots which had become popular lately. Scarlet might have enjoyed it if there hadn’t been so many sex scenes, all of which were extremely raunchy. Clothes were stripped off at regular intervals as the two friends had wildly uninhibited sex in every conceivable place and position: on the floor. On the sofa. In a lift. Even in a meadow.

Of course, each of them had perfectly toned and buffed bodies which photographed beautifully from every angle; no doubt they were faking their orgasms. But still … it was obvious they knew what seriously fantastic ones felt like, and sounded like. Did people
really
make loud noises like that? Scarlet never had. Before long she began worrying that, if she agreed to John’s proposal, he might expect her to be like that girl on the screen. And she wasn’t, not even remotely. Her breasts were a lot smaller, for starters; her body wasn’t as gym-bunny perfect and she certainly didn’t come every single time. Actually, she didn’t come very often at all, and never during actual sex. The ending annoyed her as well: it was pure Hollywood fiction where the protagonists fell in love and lived happily ever after. As if that ever happened!

‘Is that what you’re afraid of?’ John said as they left the theatre. ‘That if we have sex you might fall in love with me?’

Laughter spluttered from Scarlet’s lips before she could smother it.

‘Right,’ he said drily. ‘Obviously, that’s not what you’re afraid of.’

‘No,’ she said. Her fears had nothing to do with love. She stopped walking to turn and look up at him with thoughtful
eyes. ‘You have to admit that I don’t really know the adult you, John. You’re somewhat of a mystery man these days.’

‘Not as much of a mystery man as your university student.’

‘True. But I would still want to know more about your life in South America before I agreed to your being the father of my child. After all, your proposal is not the same kind of a deal as I would have had with my student donor. He doesn’t want to be a part of my child’s life. But you do, even if it is only in a limited way.’

‘Okay, let’s find a place to have some coffee and I’ll tell you all about myself.’ Even as he said this, John knew damned well he was not going to tell her the absolute truth. She could know about his work; nothing but good news there. Scarlet certainly didn’t need to worry that he couldn’t support a child financially. But no way was he going to tell her about Bianca. He could hardly bear to think about what had happened to that poor woman. Talking about it was out of the question.

Still, Scarlet would probably want some idea of his past love life. So he’d confess to a succession of girlfriends over the years, none of whom he’d fallen in love with, most of whom had broken up with him because of his inability to commit. That should do the trick of explaining his present partnerless existence, and did have a great deal of truth in it—though one could hardly call the sexual partners he’d had in the last decade ‘girlfriends’.

‘That pizza place over there looks open,’ he said and took her arm.

Scarlet stiffened inside at his touch. Her whole body flared to life at the thought of how much more of her he would be touching if she agreed to his proposal. Just the thought of getting naked with him made butterflies erupt in her stomach.

Suddenly, she couldn’t do it.

‘No, John,’ she said, and pulled her arm away from him.

‘No what?’

‘No, I’ve decided not to accept your offer. Thank you for making it; it was amazingly generous of you. But it’s just not going to work for me. Please don’t argue with me about this or tell me I’m being irrational. Because if you do I know I’m going to burst into tears again.’ Which was true. Her emotions, already fragile, were in danger of embarrassing her once more.

She couldn’t tell what John was thinking. His face had always been hard to read.

‘I see,’ was all he said. ‘Well, it’s your life, Scarlet. You do what you think best.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, struggling to keep the tears in check.

‘No point in going for coffee then, is there?’ he said brusquely. ‘I’ll take you home.’

CHAPTER SEVEN

S
CARLET’S
mother was still up watching television when she let herself into the house. Which perhaps was just as well. It stopped her breaking down, which was what stupidly she wanted to do again.

Her mother looked up at her from the sofa. ‘You’re home earlier than I expected.’

Scarlet glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only just after nine.

‘Yes, well, there’s not all that much to do around here on a Sunday night,’ she said as she walked behind the kitchen counter and reached for the kettle. ‘We didn’t feel like eating or drinking any more so we went to a movie.’

‘Any good?’

‘So so,’ she said, filling the kettle with water then turning it on. ‘What movie are
you
watching?’ Her mother always watched a movie at eight-thirty on a Sunday night.

‘A very boring slice-of-life story which I’m just about to turn off.’ Which she did. ‘If you’re making tea, make one for me too, please.’

‘Okay,’ Scarlet said, thinking she really had to get herself to bed before the third degree began in earnest.

Janet twisted round on the sofa so that she could watch her daughter’s face. ‘I was surprised to see you getting on so well with John today.’

‘So was I,’ Scarlet agreed, quite truthfully.

‘He hardly left your side all afternoon.’
And hardly took his eyes off you as well
. Though that wasn’t entirely new. Janet had always thought John had a secret crush on Scarlet when they were at school. He just hadn’t had the confidence back then to do anything about it. The man who’d asked Scarlet out tonight had been a different kettle of fish entirely. Janet had been taken aback at how good he’d looked when he’d arrived. Not all men suited having their hair cut so short but John did. He had a well-shaped head, flat ears and a handsome face. A nice body, too. All in all, a fine looking man. Unattached too, according to Carolyn.

‘You don’t think that …?’

‘No, Mum,’ Scarlet cut in forcefully. ‘That’s never going to happen between John and me, so please don’t go there.’

Janet was not about to give up
that
easily. ‘If you say so, dear. But what does John say? Did he want to see you some more whilst he was home?’

‘Mum, he only asked me out tonight because he can’t stand being around his father for too long. I dare say he’ll be flying back to where he came from immediately. My guess would be tomorrow.’

‘Surely he’ll stay a little longer than that after coming all the way from Brazil?’

Scarlet shrugged. ‘I doubt it. Here’s your tea, Mum. I’m taking mine to my room. I’m tired.’

Janet frowned as Scarlet went upstairs after coming out of the kitchen a few minutes later. She knew her daughter better than anyone else in this world. She could sense her state of mind, especially when she tried to hide it. Which she was doing right now.

Something had happened between her and John tonight, something which she didn’t want to talk about, something which had made her very tense. Had he made a pass? Janet
wondered. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he had. Scarlet was lovely looking, but she had impossibly high standards when it came to men. They only had to put a single foot wrong and they were out the door. If Scarlet hadn’t been searching for perfection in a partner, she would long have been married by now. Of course, Janet didn’t condone men who were unfaithful the way Jason had been. But a girl sometimes had to turn a blind eye to minor failings if she wanted to become a wife and mother as much as Scarlet did.

Not that it mattered now, Janet thought with a resigned sigh. She’d obviously given up on the idea of marriage. Even if John
were
interested, he’d be fighting a losing battle with Scarlet. All she wanted was a baby.

Janet stood up from the sofa and walked over to pick up her tea. She hoped and prayed Scarlet would fall pregnant next month.

The same thought kept Scarlet awake long after she climbed into bed. She tossed and turned, her mind torturing herself with that most horrible ‘what if?’ What if she
didn’t
fall pregnant next month? What then? Would she keep on trying or resort to more complicated and expensive procedures like IVF? How long could she keep doing this before she went stark, raving mad?

Already she could feel herself unravelling.

Maybe she should have accepted John’s offer. Why
hadn’t
she? Was it just because the idea of having sex with him terrified her? Was she so frightened of not living up to his expectations? That seemed a truly pathetic reason to knock back what was in many ways an excellent proposal. Then why, Scarlet? What are you so afraid of where John is concerned?

Her whirling mind eventually went back to that movie
they’d seen tonight, with its truly cheesy ending. Surely she couldn’t be afraid of something similar happening to her? It seemed ludicrous in the extreme to think she would fall for John just because she went to bed with him.

For the umpteenth time, Scarlet sat up and punched her pillow before turning it over and slumping back down again.

‘I’m getting sick of this,’ she muttered as she stared blankly up at the darkened ceiling. ‘I have to go to work in the morning. It’s all your fault, John Mitchell. You should have minded your own business. You don’t really want to be the father of my baby. You don’t really want to be the father of
any
baby. So why on earth did you make such a ridiculous offer in the first place? It just doesn’t make sense!’

The man himself was thinking along those same lines as he stood at his bedroom window, staring down at Scarlet’s house as he’d done so many times when he’d been a boy, wanting to join in as she played with the other kids.

A wry smile pulled at his face. Here he was, years later, still wanting Scarlet, though admittedly in quite a different way!

Okay, so his offering to be her sperm donor had begun as a gesture of kindness, but it had quickly changed to one driven by his male hormones. He wanted her, naked and willing, in his arms, a prospect which he now realised had always been in the realms of fantasy. John only had to recall the way she’d reacted to his taking her arm tonight to know he wasn’t on her ‘ten most desirable men in the world’ list. Perhaps that was why she’d rejected his offer. That and the fact she didn’t want a selfish, self-centred commitment-phobe as the father of her baby. Much better to have some anonymous stranger.

Good one, John
.

A light suddenly came on in the King house. John had no idea if it was Scarlet’s bedroom or not. But he suspected it was. She was sleepless, just like him.

Another memory suddenly popped into his head—that of his taking her arm when they’d left his parents’ party together. Scarlet hadn’t pulled away from him then. Hadn’t found his touch in any way repulsive. Then there’d been the way she’d looked at him when she’d first driven up to Gosford station earlier that day. That hadn’t been the look of a woman who found him unattractive.

Maybe he was reading this situation all wrong. Maybe there was something else bothering Scarlet. Maybe she had been tossing and turning in her bed over there, wishing now that she hadn’t rejected his offer. Because in truth it had been a good offer, far better than her having some stranger’s child. He still didn’t fancy that idea one little bit.

It suddenly occurred to John that Scarlet might eventually reconsider his offer. He suspected, however, that she would not come to such a decision lightly, or in the immediate future. To hang around home, hoping for her to change her mind, was not a bearable thought. Despite his recent discovery that he still loved his father, John still found being around him difficult. He couldn’t even escape by going surfing; the doctors said such activities were out of the question till his leg was stronger. He’d already told his mother when he arrived home that he was booked on a flight tomorrow evening, letting her think he was returning to Brazil, whereas in fact he was going to Darwin. She’d been disappointed by his early departure, but resigned.

Would Scarlet be disappointed by his early departure? he wondered. Or relieved.

He could hardly ask her now.

Another thought came to him. What if she
did
change
her mind about his offer? She would need to know how to contact him, without having to ask his mother. No way would Scarlet do that. He knew her. She was like him in some ways—overly proud. And too independent for her own good.

Turning from the window, he made his way downstairs where everything was quiet; his parents had gone to bed some time ago. Switching on the kitchen light, he went to the drawer where his mother kept an assortment of biros, writing pads and different-sized envelopes. Selecting what he wanted, he returned to his room, switched on his bedside lamp and sat down to write. It took him several attempts before he got the wording just right but eventually he was satisfied.

Dear Scarlet.

By the time you read this I will have left. Not Australia, as my family believe. I have an apartment in Darwin where I go every winter for a few weeks’ rest and recreation. This time, however, I intend to stay longer, though please keep this information confidential. Scarlet, I presume you are determined to keep trying for a baby by your anonymous donor. And that is your right. But if it is not successful, I wish you to know that my offer is still open. I can’t promise you romance but I do promise you what I think you need very badly. Here are my mobile and satellite phone numbers so that you can contact me no matter where I am.

Your friend always, John.

He added the numbers then slipped the note into an envelope and wrote Scarlet’s name on the front, having already
decided to drop the letter into her mailbox tomorrow whilst she was at work.

By the time she got home he would be long gone.

Then it would be up to her.

BOOK: Contract with Consequences
10.95Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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